The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland and Chief promoter of Olokun Festival, Otunba Gani Adams has sent a clarion call to governors in the South Western part of Nigeria to allocate 10 percent of their budgets to the improvement of agriculture in order to ensure food security and creation of jobs.
The National Coordinator of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) made the call during this year’s celebration of Obatala Festival held at Baptist Primary School, Igangan in Ibarapa zone of Oyo State recently.
Otunba Adams noted that it was time for the Yoruba state governors to stop paying lip service to the improvement of agricultural sector in the region, saying that the region consumes products worth over 10 billion naira imported from the North on daily basis.
He implored the state governors to tap on the blessed fertile lands across the region to improve agricultural tourism and lives of youths through jobs creation.
Speaking on the importance of Obatala Festival to the development of Igangan and Oyo State at large, the Aare Onakakanfo stated that celebration of Obatala Festival is one of the ways to display and improve tourism potential of Igangan, Oyo State and the entire South West to the world.
While challenging Yoruba indigenes all over the world to prioritize propagation of Yoruba culture and traditions, he opined that it was imperative to honour the gods through the promotion of culture and traditions to salvage Yoruba race from the abyss of failure and regression.
Otunba Adams described Igangan as a serene environment that is blessed with many natural resources, including Oke Agelu, a tourists’ site that can be transformed into tourism destination in the state.
In his lecture, Prof. Ayodeji Agbonjinmi of the Department of Public and International Law, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo State, said that in order to make things work in Nigeria there is need to address various anomalies in the devolution of power.
Prof. Agbonjinmi explained that the federal government should focus on the formulation of policies for states to implement, and as well ensure high level of compliance. He noted that this will go a long way in addressing various challenges confronting the nation.
The event was attended by traditional rulers in Ibarapa land led by the Asigangan of Igangan Land, Oba Lasisi Olawuyi Adeoye, Gbadewolu 1, Jagun of Oyo Empire, High Chief Ayoade Adewuyi and Oyo State OPC Coordinator, Olumo Rotimi and many other important personalities across the South West region.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
